New York Giants embarrassed in final game at Giants Stadium

APEli Manning gets up off the turf after being sacked by Carolina defensive end Charles Johnson (95) in the fourth quarter Sunday as the Panthers embarrassed Big Blue 41-9 in their final game at Giants Stadium.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Matt Moore and the
Carolina Panthers turned the New York Giants' farewell to Giants
Stadium into one of their ugliest moments in franchise history.

Playing
in front of Lawrence Taylor - possibly their greatest player - and
knowing they still had a shot at a fifth straight playoff berth, the
Giants (8-7) embarrassed themselves against the Panthers, a team with
nothing at stake. Moore threw three touchdown passes, Jonathan Stewart
rushed for a career-best 206 yards and the Panthers (7-8) shredded New
York's defense with scores on six of their first seven possessions in a
41-9 victory before a disgusted final sellout crowd Sunday.

The
Giants' postseason chances are microscopic. After stating the season
5-0, New York would have to beat Minnesota next week and hope Dallas
lost its final two games, starting on Sunday night against Washington.

Can
you say wishful thinking? Giants fans are skeptical: After booing their
defense most of the day, many left the stadium well before the game
ended.

Stewart ran for a 29-yard touchdown
and set up another score by Brad Hoover with a long run. The Panthers
forced four turnovers in their third win in four games for coach John
Fox, whose future with the team remains cloudy.

Eli
Manning threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Steve Smith and Lawrence Tynes
kicked a 40-yard field goal for the Giants, who didn't score until
Carolina built a 31-0 lead early in the third quarter. Manning finished
29 for 43 for for 296 yards and two interceptions.

Coming
off a 45-12 throttling of the Redskins on Monday night, the Giants
seemed ready to shed their late-season slump and make a final run to
the postseason.

Their opening drive seemed to
reaffirm that. Manning methodically drove New York downfield and
appeared to cap an 80-yard drive with a 26-yard touchdown pass to the
Giants' Steve Smith.

However, the play was
called back by a holding penalty against fullback Madison Hedgecock and
the drive eventually ended when Mario Manningham fumbled on third down
at the Panthers 17.

Everything after that was all Carolina.

Moore,
who was 15 of 20 for 171 yards in his seventh career start, led the
Panthers on a 15-play drive before settling for a 38-yard field goal by
John Kasay.

Carolina scored on drives of 63,
51 and 29 yards on its next three possession, the last set up by
Richard Marshall's interception.

The sloppy
Giants, who missed tackles all game, didn't get a hand on Stewart on
his cutback touchdown run that stretched the lead to 10-0.

Moore
extended the lead to 17-0 with a 22-yard sideline go pattern to Muhsin
Muhammad, and encouraged more boos from the crowd with a 2-yard TD toss
to wide-open tight end Jeff King minutes later.

Moore
found Carolina's Steve Smith for a 27-yard TD on the opening possession
of the third quarter, but Smith hurt his left arm and had to leave.

Carolina,
which rolled up 416 yards in total offense, also got a 27-yard field
goal from Kasay and a 1-yard touchdown run by Hoover, a score set up by
a 52-yard run by Stewart.